Ev Hatch ? Maybe

[TWOLOUDNPROUD]

I been seriously thinking about building a Ev Hatch.Battery technalogy is so much better now and the Hp you can get out of the motors is wow for a dc motor and put that on a 5speed trany that would be sweet.I would like to hear what you guys think about this.I know it costly to build a Ev but i think it would be fun.

[Vanilla Sky]

Give batteries another 5 years, or be willing to replace them when new batteries become available. Lithium Ion has come a long way in 5 years, and they expect another huge leap over the next 5 years.

Plan on a good $10,000 to build this. There will be a decent bit of machine work to bolt the trans up to an electric motor. There will also be the matter of wiring. Lots of money there as well.

As for the motor, go with something that will generate power upon deceleration. Go with a pretty high voltage for current delivery.

Beyond all of this, find an electronic engineer. You'll need one.

[mushroom_toy]

Interesting Idea. Have you seen "Who killed the electric car?"

[2ndGenGuy]

$10,000??? There's a 2nd gen Accord hatch that was converted to electric for $2,500. In fact, most conversions I've seen run in that price range. All you need is a motor, transmission adapter, batteries, speed controller, charger and wiring.

Also, with the right circuitry, ANY motor can do regenerative braking. That might get expensive though.

You don't need an engineer to do it either. I think with a little bit of research, some minor fabrication and DIY, the $2,500 figure can get you a car that will go about 40 miles per charge. I guess you can get more range with the higher costs, but 40 miles will get me to work and back and run small errands just fine, and I'm sure it would for most. Exactly what an EV does best!

Okay, if you're going to build your own controllers and circuitry, you might want to enlist some help. I'm pretty sure that most of this stuff can be purchased pre-built for a reasonable price though...

Transmission adapter plate would be super-simple to make as well. Get a sheet of whatever material you're using for the plate, and plop your bellhousing down on it. Trace it, and trace your bolt holes, then cut it out. Then get the pattern for the electric motor (which is SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than the bellhousing) and trace it out in the middle, and drill as necessary.

Also remember, you'll have nothing to drive accessories on. No power steering, no A/C, and no water to heat your heater core! You'd have to get an electric heater, and retrofit electric power steering if you wanted to keep those luxurys. But that does take a toll on range...

[blh1983]

Are you referring to something like this: http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/338.html CHECK IT OUT! It's a 3G Hatch!!

[BITESIZE]

^^I've seen that before.

[LX-incredible]

Are you referring to something like this: http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/338.html CHECK IT OUT! It's a 3G Hatch!!

Crazy son of a... Wow I guess anything can be done.

[2ndGenGuy]

Aaah yeah! That's the site! There is a 2gee hatch on that site as well.

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/173


Is that 3g hatch technically an LXi anymore?